Decoding the Secrets in Hillary Clinton's Spotify Playlist

Are you unsure whether she likes America, or whether she thinks she's fit to run it? We've analyzed her campaign mixtape, and our findings will shock you.

By
Dave Holmes

Jun 17, 2015

Getty Images

Over the weekend, Hillary Clinton dropped a mixtape. Well, not really; it's more of a Spotify playlist of vaguely uplifting songs that you can listen to on the way to a rally. But things have changed since 2008, when she rejected KT Tunstall's "Suddenly I See" for having the word "hell" in the chorus. The Hillary of 2016 embraces mild swearing, boxing-ring imagery, and Travie McCoy. Let's go through each song and try to determine exactly what it is she's telling us here. (Spoiler: She is mostly telling us "yay.")

Track 1: "Believer," American Authors

Who? The band whose music is in every commercial. The less-dangerous Walk the Moon.

Key Lyric: "I'm just a believer/That things are gonna get better/Some may take it or leave it/But I don't wanna let it go."

What Is She Saying? You know, some boilerplate "America's best days are ahead of her" stuff, with just a little defensiveness thrown in: "Sure, others might suggest that I will do things badly, but I'm here to tell you I will do things well." It's all fine, but the suggestion that this is a millennial "Don't Stop" is almost too much to bear.

Track 2: "The Fighter," Gym Class Heroes featuring Ryan Tedder

Who?Entourage expressed as music, featuring the guy from OneRepublic who writes all those songs people sing on The Voice.

Key Lyric: "Half the population's just waitin' to see me fail/Yeah right, you're better off trying to freeze hell."

What Is She Saying? That "Lose Yourself" would have been perfect but that Eminem is problematic. Also, that she is much larger than she appears on television.

Track 3: "Roar," Katy Perry

Who? The American-flag bustier we're all saluting to these days.

Key Lyric: "I got the eye of the tiger/A fighter, dancing through the fire/'cause I am a champion and/You're gonna hear me roar."

Questionable Lyric: "I guess that I forgot I had a choice/I let you push me past the breaking point/I stood for nothing/So I fell for everything."

What Is She Saying? I think she might be excusing her vote to authorize military force in Iraq by saying she got bullied and mansplained into it. More controversially, she might be pledging her allegiance to Team Katy in the Perry vs. Swift war, which seems unwise.

Track 4: "Break Free," Zedd featuring Ariana Grande

Who? Two people who were born when Full House was on ABC.

Key Lyric: "This is the part when I say I don't want ya/I'm stronger than I've been before/This is the part when I break free/'cause I can't resist it no more."

Questionable Lyric: "You were better, deeper/I was under your spell/Like a deadly fever, yeah, babe/On the highway to hell."

What Is She Saying? She is telling us that if we don't elect her, she will just go be president somewhere else. Also: Not only is she the one we want answering that 3 a.m. phone call, but if you were to text her "u up?" at around that time, she totally might be.

Track 5: "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)," Kelly Clarkson

Questionable Lyric: "Thanks to you I'm finally thinking about me/You know, in the end, the day you left was just my beginning."

What Is She Saying? There is a strong wronged-underdog theme happening throughout this playlist so far, as though she weren't already one of the most powerful people on the planet. I guess we wounded her worse than we thought by not giving her the nomination last time, and now she's gone and made us a hurt-feelings mixtape.

Track 6: "Best Day of My Life," American Authors

Who? Of Mountains and Men without the edge. The Kidz Bop Lumineers.

Key Lyric: "This is gonna be the best day of my life, my life, ooh."

Questionable Lyric: "There are no questionable lyrics here/This is a chocolate chip pancake with a whipped-cream smiley face in song form."

What Is She Saying? Everything is great! You are great. She is great. She will be the best President! Skittles!

Track 7: "Happy," Pharrell

Who? The guy with the hat.

Key Lyric: "It might seem crazy what I'm about to say/Sunshine she's here, you can take a break."

Questionable Lyric: "Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do." (I feel like if you're in camera seats at a Hillary campaign stop, it will be strongly suggested that clapping along is what you wanna do.)

What Is She Saying? That she is definitely a grandmother.

Track 8: "Let's Get Loud," Jennifer Lopez

Who? A very popular person within the Hispanic-American demographic.

Key Lyric: "Let's get loud, let's get loud."

Questionable Lyric: "Let's get loud, let's get loud."

What Is She Saying? Let's get loud.

Track 9: "Pumpin' Blood," NONONO

Who? I have actually never heard of this act, which means that I have been scooped by Hillary Clinton's social media person, which is really going to leave a mark.

Questionable Lyric: "See the stars, won't break the bones/They're in the car, on the highway."

What Is She Saying? America is as alive and vibrant as ever, and also she might have a body in the trunk of her car.

Track 10: "Wake Up Everybody," The Roots featuring John Legend

Who? America's house band.

Key Lyric: "Wake up everybody/No more sleepin' in bed/No more backward thinkin'/Time for thinkin' ahead."

Questionable Lyric: "Wake up, all the doctors/Make the old people well/They're the ones who suffer and who catch all the hell/But they don't have so very long/Before the Judgment Day/So won't you make them happy before they pass away?" (How grim!)

What Is She Saying? That she combines the idealism of a bygone era with bold new ideas, much as Questlove did with this old Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes song. Also, old age is a living nightmare from which the only escape is death.

Track 11: "Brave," Sara Bareilles

Who? Person who accidentally wrote Katy Perry's "Roar."

Key Lyric: "Say what you wanna say/And let the words fall out/Honestly I wanna see you be brave."

Questionable Lyric: "And since your history of silence/Won't do you any good/Did you think it would?"

What Is She Saying? Come on, don't be afraid, reach deep into your soul and find the strength to vote for the massively-funded frontrunner.

Track 12: "Fighters," Kris Allen

Who? Cute Boy With Guitar Who Wins American Idol, #2 of 5.

Key Lyric: "We were born/To be fighters/We are strong/We're survivors."

Questionable Lyric: "I see the fire/I feel the flame/And it's burning inside you/I can see it in your eyes." (It's a little Emperor Palpatine, can we agree?)

What Is She Saying? Her husband gave the world DOMA and Don't Ask Don't Tell, but choosing Kris Allen over Adam Lambert is the most homophobic thing a Clinton has ever done.

Track 13: "Beautiful Day," Jon Bon Jovi

Who? The guy you put on a presidential campaign mixtape when you want Bruce Springsteen but you've actually read his lyrics.

Key Lyric: "The whole world is smiling on this beautiful day!"

Questionable Lyric: "You want the day that happened twice/So, between now and then/I hope that happens again!"

What Is She Saying? "Okay, gays, I might have lost you with that Kris Allen choice, so here's a showtune with some vague nice lyrics. We cool?"

Track 14: "Vivir Mi Vida," Marc Anthony

Who? Former husband of very popular person within the Hispanic-American demographic.

Key Lyric: "I will laugh, I'll dance/Live my life la la la la."

Questionable Lyric: "Sometimes rain comes/To clean wounds/Sometimes just a drop/You can overcome drought." (As a resident of a state that could really use a drop of rain, this feels like one promise too many.)

What Is She Saying? That she has a social media staffer who took High School Spanish.

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